Into the Winds
by Artemis Evangelina
Summary: A woman from Kaoru's past shows up one day, and Sano says that she's his aunt! Who is she, and why is she in Tokyo? Please R&R, you won't be dissappointed!


**********Author's Notes**********  
  
Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at writing a Ruroni Kenshin fanfiction, even though I've had about a million of them swarming in my head. I will mention this in my disclaimer in just a moment, but none of the characters in this story except for Kamiko are mine. And no, she's not going to try to steal Kenshin, so get that out of your head. Well, I'm sure I'll have more to say later. For now, on with the story, and if I use any random Japanese phrases that might need defining, I'll add them at the bottom, k? Oh, and please forgive the cruddy quality of this right now. My computer crashed awhile ago, and I don't have MS Word back yet. So, I have to settle for notepad, and online spell checkers. If I missed one or two, please let me know so I can fix it! Thank you! Happy reading everyone, and please R&R!!  
  
Disclaimer - Sadly, I do not own the characters of Ruroni Kenshin, even though I wish I did. However, they belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, and I have only borrowed them for the use of my story...and other things which I cannot mention here, because it would scare away younger readers. *wink*  
  
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Into the Winds  
Chapter One: Winds of Appearance  
By: Artemis Evangelina  
She walked into Tokyo on the first day of the cherry blossom festival. She stopped at the crest of a hill overlooking the town, taking in a sweet breath of the perfumed air. It had been a long time since she had drawn a breath that was not tainted with blood. Her timeworn violet eyes scanned over the rooftops, resting on one in particular. It had been quite a long time since she had been even this close to it.  
  
As much as the back of her mind warned her to keep away, she could not resist the urge to at least see what had become of them. After many years passed on the road running, she believed she deserved a little break in her hometown. The woman resumed her walk, leaning on her staff for support. As she wandered into town, she noticed people staring at her. She pulled her hat down slightly, allowing herself to seem them, but not allowing them to see her eyes. Much had changed in the town she had loved so much. A building caught her eye and she paused to read the sign.  
  
'Akabeko, hmm?' She thought to herself, and the smell of cooking beef hot-pot wafted into her nostrils. The woman reached a hand inside her robe, checking the size of her purse, and decided that a cooked meal in a real restaurant would be the first thing she would partake of as a treat. She walked inside and was lead to a table near the back. The little server girl was careful not to gape at the large hump on her back, and this made the woman smile. When the girl had gone away to get some hot tea, she removed the bundle from underneath her robe, laying her staff on the floor and tucked her feet underneath her, glad for the chance to stretch her back. The little girl came back, setting the pot of tea on the table, trying her hardest not to stare at where the hump had been. The curiosity got the best of her however, and she looked up, dropping the cup in shock when she saw that the hump was no longer there.  
  
From reflexes borne of years of experience, the woman caught the cup in midair, twirled it around her finger, let it roll over her palm, and threw it up in the air, catching it and setting it on the table in front of the teapot. The display had its desired outcome snapping the girl from her thoughts.  
  
"It's alright dear, I imagine seeing a stranger with a hump is a tad odd, but I would not dare carry these out in the open. Especially when the residents of the dojo come to eat." The woman raised an eyebrow, taking off her hat and laying it next to her stuff. Her hair was done up in a tight bun, and she scratched her head with a slender fingertip.  
  
"Which dojo? Pardon my ignorance, but I lived here many years ago, and I am afraid too much has changed." She said.  
  
"Oh, there is only one dojo here, belonging to Kamiya-san. A lot of strange people moved in there, and others just come to eat with her once and awhile. Sano-san never pays his bill, but Tae-san has a dealing with Kamiya-san and so allows him to still eat here." The girl replied. Suddenly she jumped as if reminded of something and ran off. The woman poured herself a cup of tea, letting the warmth seep into her travel-weary bones.  
  
'So, the Kamiya dojo still exists. I wonder if Master Kamiya has had an heir? Or does he still live? Master Kamiya would never pay for an eat-and-run thief though. Ah, how much thing have changed since I left.' As she finished her cup, the girl brought her out her meal and it smelled delightful.  
  
"Well, I am sure I am keeping you from your work. Thank you for talking with me." She said, nearly laughing at the look of relief on the girl's face.  
  
Things certainly had changed from when she had lived here. The woman ate her food in silence, blessing the cooks for their skill, but was then interrupted by a woman having an argument with a young man in a white gi.  
  
"You never pay for your food Sano-san!" She yelled at him, to which he replied with a cocky smile and a shrug.  
  
"I tell you to just add it to my tab! I'll pay it all back...eventually." He replied  
  
"Gomen ne, Sano-san, demo..."  
  
"Geesh...no one wants to cook for me today! Even Missie isn't cooking...not that I mind or anything..."  
  
"But you have no one to freeload off of?" The woman sitting at the table said. The man whipped around, taking in the violet-eyed woman.  
  
"The hell?"  
  
"Come here, I will share mine with you. It is too much for me to eat by myself anyway."  
  
"Are you serious, lady?"  
  
"Quite." She replied, beckoning the girl to come set an extra place for him to sit. He sauntered over, looking her over quite indecently before sitting down across from her.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked bluntly. The woman was quite taken aback.  
  
"Nothing!" She assured him with a smile. "I suppose you do not get asked to join a meal by women in travelling clothes very often, do you?"  
  
"None as pretty as you are, at least." He replied before ungraciously shoveling food down his throat. The woman laughed at that.  
  
"I haven't been here in years; used to live across from the dojo when I was much younger. When Master Kamiya and his wife would go out, I would look after the little girl, but my memory must be going bad and I cannot remember her name..."  
  
"Kaoru." He replied, eyeing her suspiciously.  
  
"Yes, that's it!" She exclaimed, noting in the back of her mind that this man knew at least a little bit of what was going on around him.  
  
"What's your name, girlie?" The man asked roughly, becoming more suspicious of her with every second.  
  
"Sagara Kamiko. What's yours?" She replied, swallowing some of her meal before he finished it all. Suddenly his chopsticks fell to the floor and he stared at her with a piece of bean sprout hanging from his mouth.  
  
"Sagara...?" He asked in a low voice. Kamiko looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face, motioning for him to wipe his mouth, and he did so.  
  
"Yes, Sagara. That is my family name. I had a brother but..." She lowered her head respectfully.  
  
"Souzo-sama?" Kamiko's head snapped up.  
  
"You know him?" She asked in disbelief. The man nodded.  
  
"That's where I got my name. Sagara Sanosuke."  
End - Chapter One  
**********End Notes**********  
  
"Gomen ne, Sano-san, demo..." - "I'm sorry, Sano, but..."  
  
Much thanks to Phil-yon, the human word processor for being my beta reader!! A writer is only as good as their tools! And Phil-yon is one of the best tools out there... *winks, and shrinks under the glare of her boyfriend*  
  
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~~Look forward to Chapter Two: Winds of Welcome!!~~ 


End file.
